


A Sort of Tender Curiosity

by ukulelekatie



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: 1920s, And Carmilla Is A Smitten Idiot, Canon Compliant, F/F, Laura Is A Huge Dork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 06:36:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8002153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ukulelekatie/pseuds/ukulelekatie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura realizes that Carmilla missed out on the 1920s and decides to do something special for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Sort of Tender Curiosity

**Author's Note:**

> I saw on Carmilla's tumblr that she [would have loved to see the 1920s](http://heycarmilla.tumblr.com/post/150116341142/are-there-any-time-periods-you-lived-through-that), and I was immediately inspired to write this. Enjoy!
> 
> Title taken from _The Great Gatsby_

Of all places to be trapped, a library wasn't so bad. Especially for Carmilla, whose hobbies included drowning herself in book after book to keep her mind off of all the things that currently troubled her. Gently, she turned the page of the gothic novel she had plucked from the nearest shelf, enjoying the quiet rustling sound the sheets paper made when they brushed against each other. 

Beside her, Laura was occupied with a novel of her own. She had chosen _The Great Gatsby,_ ,claiming she felt obligated to finish it. The reading had been assigned to her for her Literature class long before things went awry so many months ago, and her copy of the book had undoubtedly been destroyed along with the rest of their old dorm room. 

It was nice for them to be able to sit peacefully together like this, Carmilla thought. Especially after all that had happened between them. Carmilla felt awful about all of it—the way she grabbed Laura by the hair and called her selfish and callow, the way Laura sat silent and still and miserable in the library for an entire day because she thought everything that had happened to them was all her fault. 

Now, she was so glad to see Laura returning to her curious, passionate self, and especially glad that the two were able to let each other into their lives once again. Laura no longer flinched when Carmilla came near her, and she even began smiling more. They weren't quite back to the way things had once been, but they had made so much progress rebuilding their trust and even their friendship, and for now, that was all Carmilla really needed.

"Hey, Carm?" Laura looked up from her book. 

"What's up, cupcake? Have you finally finished counting all the times Gatsby says 'Old Sport'?" 

"No, I lost track a while ago. I was actually wondering, what were the twenties really like?" 

Carmilla's shoulders raised into a shrug. "I wouldn't know, I spent the entire decade underground." 

"Oh. Right," Laura said, clearly embarrassed.

"I really wish I had been able to see it, though..." Carmilla let out a sigh. She knew, of course, that the 1920s weren't all good, but the hopeless romantic in her wished she could have at least experienced the decade's aesthetic. "Mattie always told me how much I would have loved it. The art, the music, the dancing, girls in short dresses, speakeasies... All of that... rebellion...." she drawled. "Everything was so bright back then, but I spent it all in the dark." 

Carmilla was so wrapped up in her fantasy that she almost didn't notice the feeling of Laura's hand resting delicately on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry," she murmured. 

"It's alright. It was just never meant to be." Carmilla looked away, her attention returning to the book in her lap. "But I guess that's what books are for. They take you places you can't go in real life."

"Yeah, I guess so," Laura said. She picked up her own book and began reading again, but there was a barely-noticeable sense of mischief in her voice that made Carmilla wonder what exactly was brewing in this girl's whirlwind of a mind. 

*** 

Sure enough, Laura started acting weird almost immediately after their conversation. It started with mason jars and tea lights. Carmilla knew Laura was into arts and crafts (as per evidence of the Pinterest board of dorm improvements Laura had compiled last year), but she had never seen Laura actually complete any these ridiculous little DIY hacks before now. Suddenly, the entire library was decorated with glowing glass jars on the shelves and fairy lights hanging on the walls.

Then came the knitting. Carmilla didn't even know that Laura could knit in the first place, let alone how she found the yarn and knitting needles amongst the library catalogues. The next thing she knew, Laura was fully equipped with a sewing machine. Again, Carmilla was dumbfounded, but figured that the sentient shelves probably played some kind of role in this. Carmilla never could catch a break from the goddamn library these days, could she? 

The curiosity was eating her alive. And it wasn't like Laura was willing to give Carmilla any clues to what she was up to. Any time Carmilla tried to pry at the motivations for Laura's newfound craftiness, all she was given was a mischievous smile and a "Wait and see!" from her. Even The Ginger One was clueless. Apparently Laura refused to tell them any of her secrets too. 

And still, the collection of arts and crafts continued to cumulate. Beads, feathers, glitter, and string filled their cosy little living space, and Carmilla had no idea why.

That is, until one day, when Lafontaine pulled her aside and asked her if she'd help them with some technical problems they'd been having with the ethernet. 

"You do realize I know practically nothing about computers, right?" Carmilla asked, glaring at them. She noticed that Lafontaine was dressed especially dapper today, adorned with a pair of suspenders, a bow tie, and a newsboy cap. 

"I just need an extra set of hands. Untangling cables and stuff. Come on," they said, looping their arm through Carmilla's and yanking her toward the area of the library that had become occupied with all of Laf's technologies. 

Lafontaine handed Carmilla a large bundle of cables, which she spent a great deal of time pretending to untangle. At one point, she got bored and decided to tangle them up even further, which earned a glare from The Mad Scientist. Carmilla just shrugged and feigned innocence. "I told you I was bad with computers!" She said with a smug smile. 

Lafontaine grumbled something unintelligible, clearly fed up with Carmilla's antics. "Okay, it looks like we're done here. Thanks for helping me reset the wifi password." They said very loudly and in a tone that sounded almost scripted. "And remember, the password is 'Bad Wolf.'" They shot Carmilla a knowing glance and then winked, to which Carmilla furrowed her eyebrows.

"Okay there, ginger genius." She shrugged and slipped off the table she had been perched on. Apparently, she was the only sane one around here after all. 

When she returned to where Laura had been crafting away, there was now a long bookshelf obstructing her path. Carmilla rolled her eyes. What was the little cupcake up to now?

A pair of big brown eyes appeared from behind the shelf, peeking at her through the books. Carmilla would recognize those eyes anywhere. "Psssst. What's the password?" Laura whispered.

"Laura, what the hell are you doing?" Carmilla whined. 

"I'm not gonna show you until you tell me the password!" 

"Ugh, just let me in before I use my powers to burn this bookshelf into a pile of ashes. I don't know the password." 

"Yes you do! Come on, think."

That's when everything clicked. Laf had totally been in on Laura's scheme the whole time. The password they told her wasn't for the computer, but for whatever Laura had going on behind the bookcase. 

"Um, bad wolf." Carmilla said with a shrug. 

The bookcase was slowly pushed aside to reveal the result of her mysterious creations. The lights were dimmed, leaving only the candles and fairy lights to illuminate the room. Laura had draped a white sheet over one wall, turning it into a movie screen on which a silent black and white film was playing. Her desk was covered with a tablecloth and various bottles of alcohol. 

Suddenly, everything clicked into place: Laura was trying to recreate the 1920s for her. Laf's outfit wasn't a reflection of their eccentric fashion sense; rather, it was a costume for the party. And then there was Laura, clad in a white sleeveless dress that fell just above her knees with fringe that swayed with every movement of her hips. A long string of beads hung around her neck and a fluffy red feather boa was draped around her shoulders. Her golden locks were pinned into an elegant updo and fastened with an intricate silver hairpiece. She looked like she was wearing some kind of cheesy homemade Halloween costume, and Carmilla had to admit, it was absolutely adorable.

"Surprise!" Laura cried. "Welcome to my speakeasy." 

Carmilla's lips curled into a bright smile. "You are too much, cupcake," she said, shaking her head. "So this is what you've been doing with all those craft supplies?" 

"Yup!" Laura replied, clearly very proud of her work.

"Well, cupcake. I must say you look wonderful. I feel so underdressed." 

"Actually," Laura said, reaching behind her. "I made you a costume too." 

“Wow, you put a lot of effort into this,” Carmilla said, impressed.

“Yeah, well, it was really easy to do research with all these books around. And I even watched a few video tutorials,” she said, holding the dress out for Carmilla.

Carmilla took the folded fabric from Laura's hands and snuck behind one of the shelves to change. Her costume consisted of a short fringed black dress, a pearl necklace, and a headband embellished with a single peacock feather. Like Laura’s, it probably wasn't the most historically accurate costume, but Carmilla greatly appreciated the gesture and she was impressed by all the effort Laura had put into it.

“Yay, it fits!” Laura exclaimed as Carmilla returned to the party. “You look perfect.” 

Carmilla responded with a playful smile that bordered on seductive. She twirled around, allowing the hem of her dress to billow out. 

“Alright, time to get this party started!” Laura shot a glance at Lafontaine, who nodded and plugged their phone into a set of speakers. They pressed the play button, and an upbeat jazzy tune began to fill the room. 

Before Carmilla knew it, Laura’s hand was clasped in hers, dragging her away from the wall where she was awkwardly standing and toward an area of the room that she had cleared out. Suddenly, Laura began to dance. It was a weird combination of stepping back and forth and flailing her arms about. The action was so ridiculous, all Carmilla could do was laugh. 

After a few seconds, Laura looked up at Carmilla. “Come on, don’t you know how to Charleston?” She asked.

“That’s what you were doing? I thought you just really needed to pee.” 

“Oh, shut up! Quit acting like you’re too cool for this and just dance with me.” 

“Alright, fine.” Carmilla shrugged and began mimicking Laura’s movements. It was a strange dance, certainly not as graceful as her preferred waltz, but at least it was entertaining. They bobbed up and down in sync, kicking their feet and swinging their arms. By the time the song ended, both erupted into laughter. 

“Okay, you have to admit that was fun,” Laura said while they were both catching their breath. 

“Definitely not the kind of dancing I’m used to, but I suppose it was fun.” 

Laura pointed to Lafontaine, who was busy pouring champagne into glasses. “Looks like our bartender is done making our drinks.” 

“Champagne, huh?” Carmilla laughed at the sentiment. Of course Laura would have incorporated champagne into this somehow. The two of them crept toward Laf and each grabbed a glass. Carmilla didn’t miss the wink the ginger gave Laura as she led Carmilla away from the table and toward the wall on the opposite side of the room. 

They clinked their glasses together and each took a sip of champagne. Carmilla was instantly flooded with memories of the last time the two of them drank together, and how she could taste it on Laura’s lips that night. God, she wanted to be able to taste her again, but now was not the time. They still had so much to work through before they could even think about kissing each other again. So, they stood in silence, shoulder to shoulder. 

Laura cleared her throat. “So, um, I hope you enjoyed this,” she said shyly, looking down at her feet. “I know it’s not perfect and probably nothing like how the 1920s actually were, but I saw how sad you were when you were talking about how you missed it and I just wanted to—”

“Hey, shhh. It was perfect, cutie. I really did appreciate it. And you know what?”

“What?”

“As much as I would have loved to have been there for real, everything I’ve been through was all worth it just to be here in this moment.” Carmilla cast a shy glance at Laura, whose cheeks were flushed with pink.

Laura grinned. “You’re the bee’s knees, you know that?” 

Carmilla grinned back. Sure, their lives were utter chaos right now—their relationship was in shambles, Carmilla’s sister was dead, her mother was possessing Laura’s friend and wreaking havoc on the student body. But in that moment, none of it mattered. And that night, Carmilla learned that books weren’t the only thing that allowed her to escape reality. She found the same comfort and whimsy in the bright smile of the girl beside her.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks for reading! Shoutout to my fabulous beta [monicaoakwood](http://monicaoakwood.tumblr.com). Drop by my [tumblr](http://ukulelekatie.tumblr.com) to see my fanart and fics :)


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